


folklore & evermore

by writingsrus



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingsrus/pseuds/writingsrus
Summary: a collection of vicley centered one shots/drabbles based off the songs from Taylor Swift's most recent albums, folklore and evermore!
Relationships: Victoria Hughes/Lucas Ripley
Comments: 67
Kudos: 75





	1. hoax

**Author's Note:**

> this first chapter is based on "hoax" from folklore. this will be based around the immediate grief following Ripley's death.

_'stood on the cliff side screaming "give me a reason", your faithless love's the only hoax i believe in'_

* * *

Victoria had experienced pain before. She remembered being seven years old, falling off her bike and spraining her ankle. Or when she had to get her tonsils and adenoids out at 12. Her first break-up had hurt pretty badly, she remembered being in high school and coming home crying because of it. Then she remembered the excruciating pain she felt when the theatre caught fire in college and her director couldn't get out, he had died, and that moment had made her realize that she wanted to be a firefighter. She remembered hurting herself on the job, or crying when she couldn't save someone. But no pain in the world could ever compare to what she was feeling right now. 

Her chest was tight and she couldn't breathe as she watched his eyes close and the heart monitor flatline. "No," she choked out, falling into his body, laying down beside him, and pressing a kiss to neck, but she couldn't feel his pulse under her lips and she choked out a sob at the harsh reality. He was gone. Dr.Pierce came back in and gave her a solemn look as Vic stood slowly from the hospital bed, her legs were unsteady under her as she walked out of his hospital room, glancing behind her once to look at him. He looked peaceful. At least one of them was, she thought. She wasn't though, not when she was leaving a piece of her heart in that hospital room. 

She tried to stop her tears as she left the room, all of the department's eyes on her, but she wasn't paying attention to any of them. She didn't care. She heard the doctor announce his time of death, and she felt the tears make their way down her face.

This wasn't supposed to be their story. They were supposed to get married and be together forever. She had never loved anyone the way she loved Lucas Ripley, and now he was gone, and she was alone. She didn't understand why it had to be this way, why the universe had chosen to give her love so good and then rip it away from her so quickly. Vic pushed the door of Grey Sloan open and took a deep breath, trying to get a grip because she knew she was on the verge of a panic attack. A sob broke through and she sunk down against the door, letting all of her emotions out. She heard the other door open and she didn't bother look at who had joined her. 

"I'm so sorry, Vic." She heard Travis say, and she felt his hand on her back. He didn't bother trying to tell her that it was going to be ok and she was thankful for that. Travis didn't say anything else, he just sat beside his best friend and allowed her to sob into his shoulder. He knew this feeling, the feeling of absolute pain, and he hated that Vic had to go through this, because this was a pain that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. 

Travis knew deep down that this pain would never go away, but it would scar over, and the pain would become less and she would be able to go on, even if a part of her heart was missing. 


	2. tolerate it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on "tolerate it" from evermore!

_"if it's all in my head, tell me now. tell me i've got it wrong somehow. i know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it."_

* * *

Maybe she was overthinking the whole thing, it wouldn't be unusual for her to do that, to jump to a conclusion before even thinking about the other possibilities. But she'd been feeling this way for a few weeks now, and she didn't know what to do about it. They were still in the early stages of their relationship, Vic was still learning everything that made up Lucas Ripley. She couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't as devoted to this as she was. He had been more awkward with her lately, he wouldn't open up, and she was afraid that maybe she had dove in to quickly. Maybe she had fallen for someone she had no business falling for, someone who wasn't going to ever give himself fully to her. 

Vic came home from a 24 hour shift one afternoon and found him in her kitchen. He must've been on call because he was still in his Fire Chief uniform, the sleeves of his crisp, white shirt rolled up to his elbows. He was humming a soft tune as he cooked them dinner. "Hey, you." She said, toeing off her shoes by the door and setting her bag down. Lucas looked up and smiled at her. 

"Dinner will be ready soon. You can hop in the shower if you want." He said, and she nodded, going over to press a kiss to his cheek before heading back to her bedroom. He didn't even respond to her kiss. She knew it shouldn't bother her that much, and yet it did. Vic tried not to dwell on it and let herself relax in the shower, washing away the day's work. Afterward, she changed into leggings and one of Lucas' T-shirts and made her way into the dining room. The table was set and Lucas was dishing their meal. 

They ate their meal under slight awkward silence, besides the casual talk of their days. She watched him eat, and then finally set her fork down and waited until he looked up at her. "We should talk." She said, and he scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. 

"Is it the food? I used one of my mom's old recipes, I thought you'd like it." He was obviously dodging the conversation.

Vic shook her head. "No, Luke. It's not the food. It's us." Rip the band-aid off. "I feel like you don't want this as much as I do. And that's fine, I just need to know before I go risking my career for you." She said and she watched his facial expression change. She looked into his blue eyes, trying to discern what he was thinking. 

"I do want this, Victoria. More than you know. But, I've had failed relationships before and I don't want this to fail. I love spending time with you, and I think we've got a great thing going, but I don't want to fail you." He said, wiping his mouth with his napkin and then refusing to meet her eyes. Vic was surprised. Here she was, thinking he didn't care about her the way she cared about him, and yet he did, he was just scared of messing it up, and her heart broke for him. 

Vic leaned forward slightly so she was closer to him. "Luke." She said but he still wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Lucas," finally his eyes connected with hers. "You won't fail me. I don't need your best all the time, I just want you. Lord knows I don't have the best track record with relationships either, but damnit am I going to try to make this one work." They laughed together, and Vic leaned further across the table to connect their lips in a chaste kiss. "We're in this together. Ok?"

"Ok." He said, smiling at her.


	3. gold rush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all of the comments and kudos so far, i'm really enjoying writing this for vicley! this chapter is based on "gold rush" from evermore! also in this universe 2×15 never happened, because i refuse to believe he dies in this one shot. :)

_"I don't like a gold rush, gold rush. I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush. I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch, every body wants you, everybody wonders what it would be like to love you."_

* * *

Vic didn't consider herself a jealous person. She had always taken what she was given and appreciated it, she worked hard for everything she obtained and she didn't let the success of other people bother her. But the way this woman had her hand on Lucas' arm made Vic want to snap her neck. 

The whole team had decided to go out for drinks and they'd invited Ripley. Nine months into their still very secret relationship and Vic figured she could go a few hours around the team without kissing him senseless, but it was proven harder than she thought. Everyone was spread across Joe's bar. She, Maya, Andy, and Maya's new hot, doctor lover, Carina, were seated at a table, sipping their beer and talking about anything they wanted to. She was allowing herself to steal a few glances at her fiancé, who had been sitting on a bar stool talking to Sullivan, until a woman who she had never seen before made her way over to them. 

"Oh shit, looks like the Chief found a lady friend!" Maya said, tipping her beer towards him. Vic glanced over and tried not to glare at the woman who was laughing at something they must've said. She could see that Lucas wasn't even entertaining the woman's obvious flirting, but Vic still didn't like the idea of anyone throwing themselves at her man. 

"I can't blame her, Ripley's hot." Andy said, taking a sip of her beer, causing Vic to choke on the sip she'd just taken. "Oh, come on! You can't tell me you don't think he's hot." Vic just shrugged, trying to rid herself of this conversation before she accidentally spilled some information that wasn't ready to be spilled. They were getting married in a month. And then they'd be able to tell everyone, and she'd be able to kiss him in public, but for now, she needed to not blow their cover and just get through this night. 

"I wonder what he's like in bed." Maya said which earned her a light slap on the arm from Carina. "Only kidding." 

"Really good." Vic whispered, biting her lip as she made eye contact with Lucas from across the bar. He smiled at her, but before she could smile back, Andy slapped her hand. 

"What did you say?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I just - um yea I guess he's good in bed." Vic said, her face was clearly in a red flush, and she wanted this conversation to end right now. She wished that she could just tell her friends that she was in love with their Chief, but she and Lucas had agreed that'd it'd be better to wait. 

Vic grabbed her beer and went over to where Travis and Jack were. She sat down at their table, eyes trained on the woman who was still flirting with Lucas. "Vic, someone's talking to your hobby." Travis pointed out, smirking at her. 

"Yea, thanks for that, Captain Obvious." She said, rolling her eyes and taking a long sip of her beer, she was going to need another one if anyone expected her to make it through another hour without touching Lucas. "I need one of you to go get her away from him before I punch her." She said, looking back and forth between them. 

"I'm very gay, she'd never believe I'm actually interested." Travis said, and then both him and Vic turned to Jack. 

"Oh, come on, seriously?" He asked, leaning back in his seat, and Vic smiled sweetly at him. 

"Please, pretty please?" 

"Fine." He finally cracked, and Vic jumped up and cheered, gaining the attention of everyone in the bar. Travis laughed at her and pulled her back down to sit beside him while Jack stood up and walked over to where Sullivan and Ripley were sitting at the bar. Vic trained her eyes on them and watched as Jack offered to buy the woman a drink and lead her away from their Chief and Captain. Lucas found her eyes and shook his head at her, but she just shrugged in response. 

"Alright, stop having eye sex with our Chief and actually talk to me." Travis said, and Vic laughed, turning around to enjoy the rest of her evening with her friends until she could finally leave the bar and get her hands on Lucas Ripley. 


	4. epiphany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another one shot! this one is based on "epiphany" from folklore! this has been one of my favorites to write because i think this song can connect to the dangers of firefighting and the effects it has on the firefighters.

_"only twenty minutes to sleep, but you dream of Some epiphany. just one single glimpse of relief to make some sense of what you've seen. with you, I serve. with you, I fall down. watch you breathe in, watch you breathing out."_

* * *

The five alarm fire had called A shift of station 19 to the scene even though it was their day off. Vic knew that Ripley was already at the scene, as she had been with him when he was called in to the progressing fire at a theatre. Five alarm fires were never good, and the whole team knew the danger and chaos they were walking into as they pulled up to the scene. Vic immediately spotted Ripley as she hopped out of the engine with Travis. "This doesn't look good." Travis said, putting his helmet on. 

"Five alarms never are." Vic said, doing the same as Travis and running over to the Chief. Ripley looked over, his eyes immediately finding Victoria's, before focusing on the whole team. 

"Nineteen. Glad you're here. So far we've got 10% containment and civilians still inside. Hughes, Montgomery, go with 23 for search and rescue of the backstage area of the theater. Gibson, Miller take side A. Bishop, Warren, and Herrera in Side B. Everything is unstable, so keep me updated at all times!" Ripley commanded, taking another glance at Vic, and nodding at her to go, but she could see the worrisome look in his eyes. 

Lucas tried not to worry too much about Vic, he knew that she was good at her job, and very capable of taking care of herself, but he hated the feeling of sending her into a dangerous situation, but he reminded himself of who he was referring to, Victoria Hughes, the woman who had yelled at him, her boss' boss' boss', twice. She was fearless, it was one of the many things he loved about her. 

"Hughes, Montgomery, check in." He called over the radio, tapping his foot as he waited for one of them to come through. 

"We've got two victims, both injured, we're on our way out." Montgomery's voice came through his radio. 

Ripley nodded and waved his hand to signal the people on aid car to prepare for the victim's. "Copy that, Montgomery. Aid cars are ready." He said, then going to check in with Side A as he waited for the next victims. So far three people had already died and he was already beating himself up over it, but he just had to finish this and then he'd let himself crash and burn at home, with his amazing fiancé. Sure enough, he saw her come out at that moment carrying one of the victims, while Montgomery had the other. More members of 23 also came out with victims and Ripley tried to allow himself to take a breath of relief that they were getting people out. 

"Alright, Hughes, what's our status?" He asked as soon as she returned from getting the victim on the side car. 

"Visibility is awful in there, and the structure is on verge of collapse." Vic told him, and he sighed, looking back at her before grabbing his radio. 

"All firefighters evacuate the building now! I repeat, all firefighters evacuate the building. Everyone hit from outside." He said, knowing this call would cost him lives. It never got any easier to do, and Vic had to stop herself from comforting him right then and there. "You should go get yourself checked." He said, and she didn't even bother arguing with him, she laid a hand on his arm, over his turnout gear and headed over with her team to an aid car. 

Once the fire was contained, Ripley released all of the firefighters who had been off duty, so Vic found his eyes from across the crowd and placed a hand over her heart as she and Travis walked to the engine to head back to the station. 

At the station, she showered quickly and changed clothes before heading back to her house, knowing it would be a few hours before Lucas would be done at the scene. It was already midnight by the time she got home, so she quickly ate something and headed to bed, sending a text to Lucas to let him know she was going to sleep. A few hours into the night, she felt the bed dip and she rolled over to look at him. "Hey," she said, sitting up slightly. "You ok?" She asked, knowing calls like this always had an effect on him. 

"I will be." Was all he said, as he wrapped Vic in his arms and pulled her close to him. She curled up with him, resting her hand on his chest to feel his heart best and the steady rise and fall on his breathing. "It never gets any easier making those calls. Four firefighters dead, because of me." He said, and she tilted her head up to look into his beautiful blue eyes, that she could easily get lost in. 

"It's not on you, Luke. You made the best call you could to save the most people." She said, beginning to lightly run her fingers through his blonde curls. 

"And people still died."

"There will never be a perfect call to make. It's part of the job. The job that you earned because you're the best one to do it." Vic assured him, and his eyes held gratefulness as he looked at the woman in his arms. The woman he loved with all of his heart.

"I love you, Victoria. And I am so thankful for you." She smiled up at him, and then leaned up to press a kiss to his lips, letting it linger for a few seconds. She pulled away and snuggled into his chest, never wanting to move from this spot. Vic knew that he probably wouldn't sleep much that night, maybe twenty minutes at most, so she didn't bother closing her eyes. They just laid there in the silence and darkness of her bedroom, content to hold each other until morning light. 

"I love you, too." She whispered back, tracing patterns on his bare chest. Hoping she could eventually lull him to sleep, even if just for a little while. His mind always calmed when he slept, it was like be transported somewhere else, and that's all she wanted for him, for his mind to be at ease for the night. Then they would face tomorrow when it came. Together. 


	5. right where you left me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is based on "right where you left me" from evermore! i love this song and it could really describe a grieving process if the station 19 writers will ever let Vic grieve.

_"help, i'm still at the restaurant, still sitting in a corner i haunt. cross-legged in the dim light, they say "what a sad sight". i swear you could hear a hair pin drop, right when i felt the moment stop, glass shattered on the white cloth, everybody moved on, but i stayed there."_

* * *

Vic pushed the door to Astro opened and headed straight for their booth, she sat in her usual spot and stared ahead. If she closed her eyes, she could almost picture him sitting across from her, laughing at something together, sipping his coffee, or stealing a bite of her 'eggy thing', but when she opened her eyes, she was still alone. 

It was May 3rd. A whole year since she had lost the love of her life. To everyone else, it was a normal day, but to her this was the day her world had turned upside down. Cam knew. She saw the solemn look he gave her when he noticed she was there. Vic came in almost every week, she'd order her usual, and half the time she'd have to stop herself from almost ordering a coffee for Lucas. 

The silence usually didn't bother her, but today the silence made her feel more alone than usual. It was time she shared this with someone. Vic pulled out her phone and sent a text to Travis asking him to meet her there, a few minutes later, he responded saying he was on his way. 

Travis walked in the door and headed over to the booth Vic was sitting at. "Hey, you ok?" He asked, knowing this day was going to be difficult for her. She nodded and motioned for him to sit across from her. "Vic, what is this place? It's pretty far from the station." Travis said, leaning back against the booth and looking out the window. 

"This was our place." She said, staring out the window. Travis didn't need her to say anything else, he immediately understood. "We used to come here all the time. Stale bagels, lukewarm coffee, and eggy things." She said, laughing slightly. "That's how he got his nickname for me. Eggy." Travis could see she was in a sort of trance, just relieving memories, and he felt for her, but he completely understood.

"Tell me about him." Travis said, and Vic finally looked at him, she thought about it for a moment, then nodded. 

"He was everything, Trav. He was so different outside of work, caring, sweet, funny, and so much like me at the core. We did everything together, he became a part of me." Vic explained, and the tears welled in her eyes for probably the tenth time that day. Travis reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. Cam came over to the table a moment later and Vic stood up to hug him. Cam was one of the only people who had ever seen Vic and Ripley as a couple, and he was always kind to them, and had quickly become a friend of Vic's after Lucas died. He had even officially named the dish that Lucas had always gotten, 'The Lucas', in honor of him. 

Vic and Travis both ordered 'The Lucas' and over the meal, she shared some of her memories of Lucas, and Travis was more than happy to sit and listen to her talk about the man she loved. It was a bittersweet time, but overall something that Vic definitely needed. 


	6. cardigan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, i decided to write another one shot today since that last one was sad. so here's some vicley fluff! this is based on "cardigan" from folklore!

_"hand under my sweatshirt, baby, kiss it better, right. and when i felt like i was an old cardigan, under someone's bed. you put me on and said i was your favorite."_

* * *

Vic felt like crap. Her head was throbbing, her throat hurt, and she knew if she tried to eat anything she'd probably just throw it back up. She was laying on her couch, trying to fall asleep, but she could hear Lucas rummaging around in her kitchen. "Sit up, you need to drink." He told her gently, and she peaked one eye open to look up at him. She slowly sat up as he kneeled beside the couch and handed her the glass of water, watching to make sure she took at least a few sips. "How are you feeling?" He asked, sneaking a hand under her sweatshirt to feel how warm her skin was. 

"Like shit." He laughed and stood up again, heading back into the kitchen but he returned a second later with two Tylenol's. 

Vic took the Tylenol and then laid back down against the pillow, pulling the blanket around her again. "You're pretty warm. Let me take your temperature." He said and she groaned. 

"I just want to sleep." 

"I know, eggy, but it's my job to take care of you. Open up." He said, and she reluctantly sat up again so he could stick the thermometer under her tongue. She glared at him which only caused him to laugh. The thermometer beeped after a few seconds and he took it out to look at what it read. "100⁰, that's higher than I'd like." 

Lucas moved the pillow she was using and sat behind her, then placed the pillow down in his lap and allowed her to may back down, head in his lap. "Down from 101⁰ this morning. I'm on the mend." She said, closing her eyes as Lucas played with her hair, which was quite relaxing. 

"You realize this is the second time I've nursed you back to health, and I've yet to be sick." He said, and he was completely correct. They were coming up on a year and so far Vic had been sick twice and he hadn't been sick at all, not that he was complaining though, he was perfectly fine taking care of her, but he hated being sick, though he figured it'd be more bearable with Vic to take care of him. 

"Cause you've got an immune system of steel." She said groggily, the tiredness evident in her voice. 

He smiled and pulled the blanket higher around her shoulders. "Sleep. Your body needs it." He told her, twirling one of her curls around his finger, then leaning down to press a kiss to the side of her head. 

"Are you sure this is comfortable for you?" She asked, and she heard him chuckle. Even when she was the one sick, she was still asking about him. 

"I'm fine right where I am." Lucas assured her, and Vic smiled to herself before finally allowing sleep to take over her exhausted body. And even though she was sick, Lucas couldn't remember ever being happier than he was in that moment, with his favorite person curled up in his lap, he felt love like he hadn't in a while, and he was happy. 


	7. cowboy like me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is kind of like what could have happened after 2×15 if Ripley hadn't died and instead just had to have the open heart surgery. it's based on "cowboy like me" from evermore!

_"oh, i thought this is gonna be one of those things. now i know i'm never gonna love again. i've got some tricks up my sleeve, takes one to know one. you're a cowboy like me. skeletons in both our closets, plotting hard to mess this up."_

* * *

Travis walked into the beanery ready to get his lunch but stopped in his tracks when he saw Vic stabbing a fork into a potato. "Uh, Vic? You all good?" He asked, leaning against the counter. 

"Just peachy." She responded, continuing her aggressive stabbing of the potato. 

"You fought with your hubby." He said, heading to the fridge to get a water bottle. Vic and Ripley had gotten married about two weeks after Lucas had been released from the hospital following his open heart surgery. It'd been a small ceremony, just her team, her parents, and his sister. They'd disclosed to HR and everything had gone pretty smoothly, but it was obvious that something had happened because Vic was usually in a very good mood every shift since her wedding. 

She set the fork and potato down and looked over at her best friend. "You can tell?" 

Travis laughed. "You're stabbing that potato like it did something to you." He pointed out, snatching the potato and examining it. "All I know is that I definitely wouldn't want to be the potato. Or Ripley. As I assume he's the reason you're currently murdering a potato. So come on tell me what's going on." Travis said, sitting down at the table and motioning for her to join him. 

"Today's his first day back at work since the surgery." She explained, throwing her feet up on the table and crossing her arms. "I just think it's too soon for him to go back, and I told him that and he didn't want to hear any of it. Trav, this man accused me of babying him." Vic said, the anger bubbling up in her just recalling the fight she'd had with her husband that morning. 

Vic was his best friend, but Travis knew exactly how Ripley was feeling. He remembered the feeling of wanting to go back to work after his accident at the skyscraper fire, and how his boyfriend at the time, Grant, hovered. 

"We are so alike too, so when we fight, it's like I'm fighting with myself, which is annoying as hell. We're both so stubborn, so once we start arguing, neither of us back down." Vic told him, grabbing his water bottle and taking a sip. Lucas was so much like her and she believed it was one of the reasons they worked so well together, but also one of the reasons why their arguments were intense. "We're a month into our marriage and we're already fighting, so what does that say about our marriage?" Now she was spiraling, doing that thing where she began jumping to unnecessary conclusions.

"That you love each other." Travis told her, and she looked over at him. "Why don't you want him to go back to work?"

Vic knew exactly what he was doing and she kind of hated how well Travis knew and understood her, but at the same time was extremely grateful to have someone like him. "Because I'm worried about him. He's my husband, the love of my life. I can't lose him." She confessed, and he nodded. 

"He's not back on active duty yet. Ripley's going to be fine, Vic. But you should probably talk to him about how you feel instead of stabbing potatoes." He gestured to the abandoned potato that was sitting on the counter. "Also, early relationship sex is fun and all, but early marriage makeup sex is on a whole other level." Travis informed her, and Vic kicked him as he stood from his seat.

The rest of the team started filing into the beanery a moment later, all of them talking amongst themselves as they got out their lunch. "Sullivan said Ripley's coming in a little while to check in." Dean announced, grabbing the stuff to make his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Vic took a deep breath and kept an eye on the door, sure enough, just a few minutes later, Lucas made his way into the beanery. 

"Chief! Glad you're back!" Andy said, nudging Vic with her shoulder. Nobody missed the way Ripley's eyes immediately diverted to Vic, a solemn look in them, as if to apologize for their fight that morning. 

"Glad to be back. Mind if I join you?" He asked to which Travis motioned for him to sit down across from Vic. Her eyes met his blue ones and she mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to him. He offered her a small smile in return as the team all sat down around the table to eat their lunch. 

After lunch, Vic headed into the turnout room to check stock on everything and smiled when she saw her husband. "Sullivan said this was your chore today. I figured we should talk." Lucas said, heading toward her, hands in the pockets of his jacket. 

"I'm sorry for this morning, Luke. I just worry about you a lot. You almost died and I almost had to go on without you. Now, you're ok, and I just want to make sure you stay that way, because I can't lose you." Vic told him, tears welling in her eyes as she thought about the time she'd spent by his side in the hospital. 

"I'm not going anywhere, Victoria. My heart is stronger than ever now. But, I will promise to take it easy if it'll make you feel better." He promised, hands coming to rest on her hips, pulling her body to his. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She said, leaning up to connect their lips for a quick kiss. "I've got work to do now, and I know you have other stations to visit." Her forehead was resting against his and she really didn't want him to leave, but she knew how packed his schedule for today was. Lucas pulled back and pressed his lips to her forehead before stepping away from her completely. "Be safe." She called after him. 

"Always."


	8. this is me trying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all had a wonderful valentines day! here's some vicley fluff for you, based on "this is me trying" from folklore!

_"pulled the car off the road to the look out. could've followed my fears all the way down, and maybe i don't quite know what to say, but i'm here in your doorway. i just wanted you to know that this is me trying."_

* * *

The shift had been long and eventful, and Vic was extremely tired, at least that's the reasoning she gave herself as she drove the familiar route to Lucas' house at 10:30 at night. They had agreed to spend the night apart because she was getting off a long shift and he was still on call and would have to go into work early in the morning. She had been sitting on her couch, sipping a glass of wine, allowing herself to think, when she'd realized she wanted to talk to him, and it wasn't something she just wanted to say over the phone.

Before she knew it, she was parked in his driveway. She took the keys out of the ignition and allowed herself a moment to at least try to figure out the gist of why she was showing up at her boyfriend's house at almost 11:00 at night. Vic sighed and stepped out of her jeep, walking to his door. She raised her hand to knock, but then decided against it incase he was already asleep, so she pulled out her key and unlocked his door, turning the handle and stepping inside, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Vic toed her sneakers off in his doorway and then made her way further into his house, she could hear the TV going, and sure enough Lucas was standing in his kitchen, scooping ice cream into a bowl. He looked up immediately at the sound of footsteps, but his demeanor softened again when he saw his girlfriend standing there. "Victoria? Everything ok?" He asked, putting the carton of ice cream away as she took a seat in one of the barstools at his kitchen island. "I thought we weren't spending tonight together?"

"We're not. Well, we weren't, but then I wanted to talk to you. Now that I think of it, I probably should've texted before showing up at your house, but -" 

"You're always welcome here, no matter the time." He assured her, interrupting her rambling.

Vic looked up at him, smiling as he took a bite of his ice cream. "I broke into your house." She said, sheepishly. 

"It's not breaking in when you have a key." Lucas pointed out. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked, leaning against ths counter, looking into her eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She looked down at her hands and then back into his beautiful blue eyes that she loved so much. 

"This relationship is really important to me, you're really important to me, and I want this to work. I love you a lot and that scares the hell out of me, but also makes me feel really good. I am going to try so hard to make this relationship work, because I don't want to lose this or you. Ever." Vic admitted, all of her feelings spilling out, not taking anytime to look at Lucas until she was done, and when she did he looked pleasantly surprised. He set his ice cream down and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. 

"You came all the way over here to tell me that?" Lucas asked, and Vic nodded. "I love you so much, Victoria. And I will also try my very hardest to make this work." She smiled at him, before quickly dipping her finger into his bowl of now melted ice cream and spread it on his nose. "You've ruined the moment."

"You still love me anyways." 

"Always." He promised, and she leaned forward to kiss the ice cream off his nose, then pressing her lips to his. She pulled back and hopped off the barstool so that she could wrap her arms around his torso, resting her head under his chin. He rocked them back and forth for a few minutes, both of them perfectly content to stay wrapped in each other's arms, ice cream long forgotten.


	9. marjorie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is based on "marjorie" from evermore, which always makes me tear up, so this one shot will be a little bit angsty as in Ripley's dead, but it's not complete angst, at least i hope it's not lol. anyways, enjoy!

_"and if i didn't know better, i'd think you were talking to me now. and if i didn't know better, i'd think you were still around. what died didn't stay dead, what died didn't stay dead. you're alive, you're alive in my head."_

* * *

The ring sat on the ring finger of her left hand, simple yet beautiful, a perfect fit like it was meant to be there. Often times, Vic found herself twisting the ring on her finger but never taking it off. Just like now, as she sat on the bed in her bunk room, thinking about the day and wishing she could be talking to Lucas about it. He had always been a great listener, Vic would come home and he would stop whatever he was doing to hold her and listen as she rambled about her day. Now instead, she would stare at the ring and talk to it, like the ring was a piece of him. 

* * *

_Jennifer walked into the hospital room, trying to keep her tears at bay as she prepared herself for her last conversation with her brother. She had never wanted this moment to come, Lucas was all she had left and she wasn't ready to lose him, she'd never be ready to lose him. But she knew now was his time, as much as she wished it wasn't. So she smiled sadly at him as she sat in the chair beside the bed, immediately grabbing his hand. "Jen." He whispered._

_"Hey, Luke."_

_"Jennifer, I need you - I need you to get mom's ring and give it to Vic." His words surprised her. Their mother had left her wedding ring to him when she died, certain that someday he'd find the right woman to give it to. He had almost given it to his first wife but Jennifer had pointed out that he should see if they were able to make it work before giving up that piece of their mother. He'd never even considered giving it to Eva, maybe it was that voice in the back of his head that kept telling him she never really loved him anyway. Jennifer had started to believe that he'd never give the ring to anyone, and she couldn't blame him, none of the women in his life had ever deserved it, they'd never loved and cared for him the way their mother had always hoped someone would. And now he wanted to give it to a woman he hadn't even been with for a year yet, they weren't married._

_Jennifer leaned forward to be closer to him. "Luke, are you sure?"_ _He nodded._

_"I've never loved anyone as much as I love her, and no one's ever loved me as much as she does. And if I got the chance to live, I would live my life loving her. I don't get that chance, but she should still get the ring. Please, Jen. Give it to her, tell her I'll always love her." He pleaded, using as much strength as his body had left to squeeze her hand. Jennifer couldn't bring herself to deny him his dying wish, so she nodded, leaning forward to kiss his forehead._

_A few days after he passed, Jennifer walked into Station 19, the ring in her hand. She pushed the door open and knocked on Sullivan's office. "Jennifer, hey. Can I help you with something?" He asked, letting her into his office and closing the door behind him._

_"Is Vic here?" She asked, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk._

_"Against my recommendation." Jennifer set the ring box on his desk, knowing he would know what it was. "You're giving it to her?"_

_"He wanted me to. I can't - I can't deny him that." Sullivan nodded in understanding and called Hughes into his office. A few minutes later she was at the door, there were bags under her eyes and they were red, a mix of crying and not sleeping clearly evident in her appearance._

_"I'll leave you two." He said, standing from his desk and leaving the room._

_Jennifer turned toward the woman her brother loved so much and grabbed her left hand. "Lucas wanted me to give you something." She said, grabbing the ring box from off the desk and opening it. She gently removed the ring, holding it in her hand and admiring it for a moment before looking back up at Vic. "This ring was our mother's. Before she died, she gave it to Luke, she told him to give it to a woman who he loved and who loved him just as much. He never gave it to anyone. Nobody lived up to mom's standards for him." Jennifer said, a sad smile crossing her face as she looked back down at the ring. She sniffled, before continuing. "Until now. Lucas always spoke so highly of you, and I didn't get it until I met you, I saw how he looked at you, and I hoped that your relationship would be the one to last. And I believe it would've if the universe had granted him a longer life. But either way, he wanted you to have this. He told me to tell you that he will always love you, and this is the ring to symbolize it." Jennifer explained and she took the ring and slid it onto Vic's ring finger._

_Vic looked down at her hand and touched the band that now rested on her finger. It felt right. "Thank you, Jen. You have no idea how much this means to me." She said, pulling the woman into a tight hug. They would always be connected as they had both lost the most important person in their lives._

* * *

"You know, eggy, I might not be here, but you can always talk to me. I'll always listen." Vic looked up when she heard the familiar voice, her breath caught when she saw him sitting beside her on the bed. It was him. With his blonde curly hair and blue eyes, the body that she'd come to know so well in their few months together, it was really him. 

"Lucas." She breathed out, and a smile stretched his lips, a smile that had become a faint memory in her brain after not seeing it for so long. He opened his arms and motioned for her to come closer, she didn't quite know what was happening, whether she'd finally lost her mind, or if maybe the ghost of him was actually there, but she wasted know time scooting closer to him, and snuggling up to him. 

"You can't hide away in your room, Victoria. If you're upset about a call today, which I know you are, your friends are out there, ready to talk to you, to help you." He said, and before she could respond he was across the room, standing in front of the door. "I know better than anyone how easy it is to want to deal with the hard parts of the job alone, to bottle it up. But it doesn't help. No, it just stays there, without being dealt with. And it grows until you can't take it anymore, so then you take it out on the people who care about you." Once again, he reappeared in the chair in the corner of the room, legs crossed and hands folded in his lap. "You'll lead yourself to your own demise, and as much as I miss you, it's not your time, Eggy. Your place is here, with the people out there who love you, the people in your corner. Don't run from help, or you'll end up like me. Now go. Go talk to Montgomery and the rest of 19. I'll always be here it you need me. Just twist the ring." He said with a chuckle, as he appeared kneeling in front of her. He grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles before disappearing. Vic stood from the bed, looking around the room before taking a deep breath. He was gone. Again. 

Vic opened the door to her room and walked out of the locker room and into the beanery where her team was eating dinner. "Vic, you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost." Travis said and she huffed out a breath. I think I did, she thought to herself as she sat down at the table, filling her plate up with food. Her team talked about the day, and Vic expressed how she felt about the call, and sure enough, as Lucas had told her, they listened and they all assembled a group hug afterward. And it felt good to get it off her chest, and she smiled as they all returned to their seats. 

Vic stood to get a water bottle from the fridge and stopped when she saw him leaning against the door, a smirk on his face. "Don't wanna say I told you so..." 

"Thank you." She whispered and he shrugged before disappearing again. Vic looked down at the ring on her finger, and nodded to herself. It really was a piece of him. 


	10. illicit affairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a few days, but this one is based on "illicit affairs" from folklore! also this song was literally written for vicley and no one can change my mind. anyways, this is out of canon after the proposal in 2×14, so the end of that episode, 2×15 and 2×16 never happened because Ripley's death remains the dumbest thing those writers ever did. alright, enjoy!

_"and that's the thing about illicit affairs, and clandestine meetings and stolen stares. they show their truth one single time, but they lie, and they lie, and they lie a billion little times."_

* * *

The hard part was over. They had finally disclosed their relationship to HR, and after an investigation and questioning of everyone who knew, they were cleared, barring a few rules and regulations, but they were allowed to be together. All they had to do now was tell Vic's team, plan a wedding, and get married. 

They were snuggled up on Vic's couch a week after HR's decision came down when they brought up the topic for the first time. "It's been a week." Vic started, her head resting on Lucas' shoulder, his fingers playing with her curls, absentmindedly twirling a ringlet around his finger. 

"It has."

Vic lifted her head so that she could look at him. "How are we going to tell my team?" She asked. Lucas smiled and then leaned forward to peck her lips. 

"We don't." He said, and Vic was thoroughly surprised.

She looked at him, confusion clear through her features, but he still had a smile on his face. "We don't? Luke, we just disclosed to HR so that we could stop being a secret, and now you want to keep being a secret? That makes no sense."

"If we're going to tell your team, we might as well have some fun with it." Lucas insisted, wrapping his arm back around her shoulders and trying to pull her into his side again, but Vic resisted, pushing against his shoulder because she still had no idea what he meant. 

Lucas pouted at her, but she ignored it. "Yeah, you're gonna have to explain this to me, because I have no idea what you're saying." She said, and he laughed. 

"I'm saying we let them figure it out on their own. We stop going out of our way to be a secret and eventually they'll all catch on." He told her and Vic smiled. It actually made sense when she thought about it. She had been a little stressed about everyone asking her questions at once, especially after she'd had to explain their whole relationship to HR in much detail, and this would stop that from happening. If everyone found out on their own accord, they could answer everyone's questions separately. 

Vic finally gave in and settled back into his side. "Ok." She whispered, breathing in his familiar and comforting scent. 

"Yeah?" He asked, looking down at her, kind of surprised that she had agreed so easily. 

"Yes, Lucas." She giggled ad he wrapped both arms around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. This would be interesting. 

* * *

_Andy Herrera_

Andy needed to rant. There was so much going on and she seriously needed to talk to someone, preferably a girl, and while she would usually talk to Maya, she couldn't do that because she was sleeping with her ex. On top of her strained relationship with her best friend, Ryan had just announced he was leaving for San Diego with his new girlfriend, Jenna. And then to tie everything off in a pretty bow, she had a feeling she was falling for their Captain. Andy had gone to Joe's to get a drink by herself when she decided to just go to Vic's apartment at 9:00 at night because she desperately needed someone to talk to. 

Andy hadn't been to Vic's apartment for a while, everytime they hung out it was either at a bar or at Maya and Andy's place. She lightly knocked on the door amd waited impatiently for her friend to answer the door. It opened a few moments later to reveal Vic wearing shorts and what looked like a guy's white T-shirt, but Andy was too caught up to notice that as she pushed her way into Vic's apartment. She was also too caught up to notice the men's shoes next to the door and the men's coat that hung on the coat hanger. 

"Uh sure, come on in." Vic said sarcastically, following Andy into the kitchen. 

Andy looked at her and then realized that she had technically just barged in. "Sorry, I just really need to talk to someone." She said, sitting on one of the barstools as Vic slid a glass of water across the counter to her, acknowledging that her friend was at least a little tipsy.

"I'm listening. Spill, sister." Vic said, leaning on the counter. Andy was about to start relaying her pent up emotions when she saw a man in only sweatpants walk through the hallway, she was stunned to say the least, but she was even more stunned when the guy came into the kitchen and she realized that it was Chief Ripley. 

He looked seemingly unfazed as he nodded at her. "Herrera." Andy was too confused to say anything so she looked at Vic, who also looked unfazed, but was standing straight now, arms crossed as she stared at the Chief. 

"What are you doing up?" Vic asked, leaning her back against the counter as she stared at him. 

"I needed water." Ripley said, moving to the fridge to pull out a pitcher of water.

"I thought I told you to get some rest."

"You did. And I was. But, I woke up and needed water." He said, taking a sip of the water, and Andy watched as Vic brought the back of her hand to his forehead. 

Vic grabbed the pitcher of water and put it back into the fridge, grabbing a bottle of ginger ale and pouring a glass of that and handing it to him. "You could've called for me. I would've gotten it for you." 

"Vic, honey, I have a stomach bug. I'm not dying." He assured her, to which he recieved a glare as he took a sip of his water and then a sip of the ginger ale. Andy definitely didn't miss the term of endearment that so casually slipped from Ripley's lips as if that was something completely normal. Andy cleared her throat and they both turned toward her. 

"Does someone want to explain to me what's going on here?" She asked. She had suspected that Vic was seeing someone since she started spending less time with them and coming into the station with swagger very frequently, but never had she ever imagined that it was the Chief of the Seattle Fire Department that she was seeing, their boss' boss' boss.

Ripley turned to her and she realized how he looked at that moment. His hair was tousled and he looked exhausted, it was clear that he was sick. "Right. Sorry, I'm sick." He said, and Andy was trying to figure out why they were being so nonchalant about this. She just found out about a relationship that could end both of their careers and they didn't even seem to care. 

"Vic? What the hell?" Andy asked and Vic sat down on the barstool next to her. "Why is the Fire Chief standing shirtless in your kitchen?" Andy watched as Vic's eyes trailed to Ripley's and he shrugged, taking another sip of his ginger ale.

"We're in a relationship." Vic said and Andy's mouth fell wide open but she was interrupted before she could even say anything. 

"And before you say anything, HR already knows and they've cleared us. Montgomery, Gibson, and Sullivan also know. You're the first of the rest to find out, we're sort of letting people find out on their own." Ripley explained, but Andy was still in complete shock.

"How long?"

"Almost eight months." Vic said. "Also, we're engaged." 

"Engaged?!" Andy exclaimed. Finding out your boss was dating one of his subordinates was one thing, but to find out that they were engaged to be married was another. A million thoughts raced through Andy's mind as her eyes darted back and forth between Vic and the Chief. She would've been asking if this was consensual, but it seemed that it was the way Vic had been bossing him around just moments earlier. "I don't even know what to say. I mean, I'm happy for you, I guess. I just - wow. This is a lot. He makes you happy?" She asked, turning to her friend and grabbing her hands.

Vic looked over at Ripley and smiled at him. "He does." She said, looking back at Andy, waiting to see what she'd say.

"Ok. Ok, so now we have a wedding to plan."

* * *

_Maya Bishop_

The rest of the team was out on calls and so it left Maya and Vic alone at the station. Vic sat in the chair at the reception desk, spinning around in it as she messages back and forth with Lucas, usually she wouldn't text him in front of anyone else, but they weren't trying to keep their secret anymore, so she didn't care if Maya saw. "Who's got you smiling at your phone like that?" Maya asked, coming up behind Vic and grabbing the phone out of her hands. "Lucas? Who's Lucas? Wait, is this the guy you keep ditching us for?" She asked, she wasn't actually offended, she was actually quite happy for her friend, but she was desperate to know who the mystery guy was. 

"Yeah, we've been together for going on eight months now." Vic said and Maya's jaw fell open, she hadn't even realized it'd been that long. She looked back at the phone and then back up at Vic who was still lounging in the chair. 

Maya read the message that pinged through and then turned the phone toward Vic. "He's stopping by the station?! As in, this station?" Vic nodded, humored by Maya's excitement. "Finally, it's about time I get to meet him!" She said, handing the phone back to Vic and pulling up a chair beside her so that they could wait for him to arrive together. 

They waited for about fifteen minutes before Lucas came through the front door, in his Chief uniform. Maya looked up excitedly, and then her face fell when she realized it was just the Chief. "Oh, it's just you." She said, and Ripley raised an eyebrow. 

"Good to see you too, Bishop. Hughes." He nodded toward them, laughing slightly. Vic bit her lip to keep from smiling too widely at her fiancé. 

"Sorry, Chief. We're just waiting for Vic's mystery boyfriend to come in." Maya said and Vic sucked in a breath and turned to look at her, before standing up and walking around the reception desk to where Ripley was standing.

She laced their fingers together and leaned into his side. "Yeah, about that. Maya, meet Lucas." Vic said and the dots seemed to connect in Maya's mind because her eyes went wide and her jaw practically fell to the floor. 

"So, Chief Ripley is your mystery boyfriend?"

"Well, mystery fiancé, but yes." If it was even possible, Maya's eyes went even wider and she stuttered over her words as she tried to process the news. "Surprise?" Vic said, trying to break the awkwardness. 

"Holy shit. You're marrying the Chief?" Maya asked, and her eyes softened when she saw the way Vic looked up at the man, gripped his arm tighter, and nodded. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. Because I love him." Vic said, her eyes never leaving Lucas'. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her into his side, nuzzling her nose into the top of her head. 

"Ok, that's cute." Maya finally said and Vic pulled out of Ripley's arms and ran to hug her friend. 

* * *

_Ben Warren and Dean Miller_

When 19 arrived at the scene of the fire, it was complete chaos as other stations worked to get people out of the building and firefighters ran in out. When Ripley noticed their arrival, he handed over control of the scene to the next battalion chief in command which was Frankel. Ripley stepped back, suited up and ran into the building with station 42, figuring if he wasn't in charge, he could at least put himself to use. 

Miller and Warren had been assigned to aid car, so they stood over by the vehicle, waiting for someone to bring them a patient. Warren supposed they should be relieved that there weren't a lot of injuries that required transportation to the hospital, but he and Miller both felt useless as they watched their team and others run into their assigned parts of the building to work on containing the ongoing flames.

"You got any idea why Ripley handed over to Frankel as soon as we showed up?" Warren asked, leaning against the aid car door. Miller hadn't even realized, but looked over to where Frankel was making calls into her radio and directing firefighters. 

"Maybe he just liked the rush from the coffee plant fire so much." Miller offered, and Warren shrugged, but sat up when he heard Frankel make the call for all firefighters to evacuate the building. 

They both immediately tuned into what was going on as Ripley looked at her in confusion, and then seemed to look back at the building to assess it. "There's a whole team still inside that building and they haven't checked in on the radio. You can't evacuate that building." He told her, and she grabbed her radio and tried to reach the members of Station 42 that were still inside the building, but they recieved nothing. "If their radios aren't working then they have no way of knowing you made a call. Let me go in." Ripley said, already grabbing to pull the mask down over his face again. 

"No, the building is on verge of collapse. No one goes in. All due respect, Chief Ripley, but this is no longer your scene. Stand down." She commanded and he stared at her for a moment before turning on his heel and running back into the building, ignoring the way all of 19 and Frankel yelled for him to stop. 

"Lucas!" They heard Vic yell, and they shared a confused look. Since when did the Chief and Hughes start calling each other by their first names. But they didn't have time to dwell on that as everyone held their breath because for the second time in a few months, the Chief had run back into a building that had been evacuated. The scene was deathly quiet as they all waited for him to come running out. It took a few minutes but eventually the team members of 42 emerged from the smoke, Ripley not far behind them. 

Frankel ordered him to be checked out at the aid car, just as the building finally collapsed. Ripley walked over to Miller and Warren and they chose not to say anything about what had happened and got to work on checking his vitals, they were in the middle of listening to his heart when Vic stormed over. "What the hell was that?" She exclaimed, and Miller shared a glance with Warren over Ripley's head. "The building could've collapsed with you in it."

"The structure still had a few minutes. Frankel calculated wrong and I knew I could make it in and out in time." He said, and Vic laughed as she rolled her eyes. 

"You weren't in charge of the scene though, Lucas! Frankel made her call and you went and disobeyed it, so you could, what, be a hero? If 42 had been hurt, then you'd have been trying to drag them out as the building collapsed. Then what? I have to pull your body out of the rubble? I have to bury my fiancé before I even get the chance to marry him? That's not fair, Luke. If a firefighter disobeyed your direct order, you'd go bat crazy, but that's exactly what you just did, and it could've very well resulted in your death." Vic ranted so fast, hardly allowing herself to breathe, and Miller and Warren almost didn't catch what she'd just called Ripley. Her fiancé. 

Warren took the stethoscope off and glanced at Vic, her arms crossed across her chest as she glared at Ripley. "You two are engaged?" He asked, hardly caring about the optics of it all. He tried not to involve himself with his teammates love lives, especially when he had no right to judge, considering he'd married Miranda. Vic tore her eyes from Ripley and seemed to realize for the first time that they weren't alone.

"Well, now everyone knows." She said, her eyes returning to Ripley and they saw her demeanor change and her arms fall to her sides as Ripley stood up. Vic wasted no time in rushing forward and wrapping her arms around him, burying her face into his neck. His arms instinctively returned her embrace, one hand cradling her head. "Don't ever do anything stupid like that again." Came the muffled warning from Vic and Ripley chucked, seeming to hold her tighter. 

"Oh my God." Miller said, staring at the couple. Vic pulled back slightly, arms coming to rest on Lucas' shoulders as she turned to look at her coworkers. 

"Quick run down. I'm marrying the Chief, we've been together eight months, HR knows and already cleared us, and you two are the last to find out." She quickly explained and Miller just stated at them. "Miller?"

"Vic kept a secret!" He finally said and they all laughed. And for the first time in months, Vic didn't have this weight on her shoulders anymore. She wasn't keeping anything from her team and they all still loved and supported her. After months of lying, it felt good to tell the truth for once. 


	11. champagne problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a reworking of 2×15, where Ripley's ex-wife is still on his emergency contact list and shows up at the hospital, where Vic confronts her. (don't worry, ripley doesn't die because that's stupid. also he just has the aortic stenosis and no hydrofluoric acid because that made no sense. and he never left grey sloan, because that's dumb.) this is based on "champagne problems" from evermore.

_"'she would've made such a lovely bride, what a shame she's fucked in the head', they said. but you'll find the real thing instead, she'll patch up your tapestry that i shred and hold your hand while dancing, never leave you standing crestfallen on the landing with champagne problems."_

* * *

He had just been taken back for the open heart surgery, and Vic was not doing well. She knew that this was a surgery that Dr. Pierce had performed countless times, but she wouldn't be completely ok until she knew that he was completely ok. Vic left the waiting room because she couldn't stand the looks of pity from her teammates now that they knew about them, and she went to pace the halls by the entrance, trying to take deep breaths. She had to calm herself down. She had to be calm for Lucas. 

Vic had just started to regulate her breathing when a woman came in the doors and headed toward the front desk. "I'm Eva Thompson, I'm here for Lucas Ripley." She heard the woman say, and Vic immediately followed this woman to the waiting room, stopping her in the doorway. 

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Vic asked, her voice rough from the crying she had been doing. 

Eva adjusted her purse on her shoulder and glanced at Vic and noticed her uniform. "Huh, nice to know his firefighters are protective of him. I'm Eva Thompson, Lucas' ex-wife." Eva said, extending her hand and Vic's mouth fell open. She had heard about the second wife. The bitch, at least that's what Lucas, Jennifer, and Sullivan had all referred to her as. She had no clue why this woman, who didn't give a shit about Lucas when they were married, had the audacity to show up when he's in the hospital. 

"Victoria Hughes, Lucas' fiancé." She said, purposefully ignoring Eva's extended hand.

"Oh wow, he's going for young girls now." Eva said with a laugh, and Vic had a really strong urge to slap this woman. 

She gritted her teeth, looking to the floor and then back at Eva. "I'm not a girl. I'm a grown woman."

"Right, a grown woman sleeping with her boss. I knew he was messed up, but I didn't realize he'd stoop that low." Eva replied coldly, and Vic could almost feel the ice in her words. 

"I love him. And he loves me." 

"You keep believing that. He doesn't love anyone. He only loves the job. Hell, I'd be surprised if he even knows what love feels like." The words left Eva's mouth and Vic was on the verge of exploding on this woman. She was fed up, and tired, and scared, and the last thing she needed was some woman who thought she knew a damn thing about Lucas Ripley try to tell her about the man she loved.

Vic crossed her arms over her chest. "You know you've got some nerve showing up here. How the hell did you even know he was here?" 

"I was his wife." Eva said, and the damn broke in Vic. 

"Could've fooled me! You sit here and say he wasn’t a good man because he worked too much, but you married him for a reason, right? You knew his hopes and dreams? So you knew that he wanted to be the Fire Chief of Seattle someday, you knew he was going to work toward that and you still made the decision to marry him, so you can't blame him for trying to accomplish his dreams. Your husband came home every night from fires, suffering from PTSD, and you forced him to sleep on the couch, you left him alone! You didn't give a damn about him. And then you cheated on him, and left him. And you didn't just leave him. You left him broken. You broke him. He gave up on love. Because of you. And I'm not saying that Lucas Ripley is a perfect man, because he's not, but he's a damn good one. And he does know how to love, you just couldn't handle the fact that he loved his job too. Now my fiancé is in open heart surgery, and you have the nerve to show up here. And for what? To make it known that you couldn’t give a shit whether or not he makes it off the operating table?” Vic screamed at her, not caring that her whole team was watching her rip this woman a new one. Vic turned toward Jennifer, who had stood from her chair and came to stand by Vic's side. 

"Leave, Eva." Jennifer said, staring straight at her. 

"I'm still on his emergency contact list." Eva said, just further confirming that she didn't actually care about Lucas. 

Vic flashed her a fake smile as she pointed to the door. "I'll make sure to have that changed. Now leave. I don't want you here, Jennifer doesn't want you here, and I know Lucas sure as hell wouldn't want you here." She said, watching as Eva nodded and then finally turned to head out the door. Before she could leave though, Vic stopped her. “Oh, and Eva?” Eva turned around. “Thank you.” Vic said, and everyone in the room turned to her, obviously confused at the sudden change of heart.

“For?” 

“For letting him go. I guess somebody else’s loss is another’s gain, because I got one of the best things to ever happen to me.” Vic said, voice cracking slightly from all of her emotions. Eva rolled her eyes and walked out the door.

As soon as she was gone, Vic let out a breath and walked slowly over to sit in her seat to wait for the doctor.

“Hey. You ok?” Travis asked, sitting down in the seat next to her, grabbing her hand.

Vic nodded, forcing a smile as she looked over at her best friend. “I will be. Once I know he’s ok, I will be. But that was the last thing I needed today.” She admitted, still trying to process what all had happened. 

“You did good, Vic. You stood your ground and put her in her place like a badass!” Travis said as he bumped his shoulder against hers, smiling when he heard her laugh.

”That was pretty badass, wasn’t it?” 

“Hell yeah!” He hyped her up and she smiled at him, resting her head on his shoulder, allowing her eyes to flutter shut. She hadn’t gotten a ton of sleep the night before because she’d been anxious to hear what Lucas’ answer to her proposal would be. Today was supposed to be amazing. They were supposed to meet for breakfast and get engaged and then spend the day together. He was not supposed to collapse from a heart problem and be admitted to the hospital for open heart surgery. But she was thankful that she’d at least gotten a few minutes with him before they took him back for surgery. 

* * *

_Vic slowly turned the door handle of his hospital room, stepping inside and shutting it behind her. When she brought her eyes to the bed, she realized how small he looked laying in the hospital bed. There were tears in her eyes, but she smiled sadly at him when his eyes lit up upon seeing her. He rested his head back against the pillow as she stared at him. “I called.” He whispered._

_”I know.” She assured him._

_”I tried to get to the diner.”  
_

_”I know.” She repeated, tears clouding her vision as she crossed the room to sit on the edge of his bed, immediately taking his hand in hers.  
_

_Lucas smiled at her._ ”So, _secret’s out, I guess.” He said, Vic smiled back at him, sweeping her curls to one shoulder.  
_

_”Yea, I guess we could finally take that vacation.” She told him with a small laugh. Vic didn’t care that everyone knew, all she cared about was the man in front of her, and making sure that he would be ok._

_”Aspen.” He said._

_”No, definitely Hawaii.” She argued. “I’m there right now. In a bikini. Lucky you.” She flirted, smirking at him._

_”Lucky me.” Lucas agreed, a smile spreading across his face._

_Vic looked down at their joined hands, stroking her thumb against his knuckles. “Our toes are in the sand, the sun’s warming our skin. Not a care in the world.” She told him, closing her eyes as if to will them out of that hospital room and onto the beach. Away from everything. “Oh, wait. Actually, I do have a care, I have a big care that sand is not fully going the wrong way up my suit.” She said, jokingly, loving the way he smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling when he did. They spent the next few moments just staring at each other, Vic tried to memorize his facial features so she could have a clear picture of him when he went back for the surgery._

_It was Lucas who broke the silence. “I owe you an answer.” He whispered, as she brought her hand to cup the back of his neck, her fingers tangling in the ends of his blonde curls. Her breath caught slightly as she waited for him to continue. “It’s yes, Victoria. Of course it’s yes.” He said, and her hand covered her mouth as she choked on a bittersweet sob._

_”That’s a very wise decision, obviously.” She smiled through her tears at her new fiancé, as her thumb stroked his cheek, lovingly._

_”Today was supposed to be amazing. I messed it all up, I was bringing you flowers.” He said, shaking his head._

_”You didn’t mess anything up. You’re going to be okay.” She promised, speaking to both him and herself, because she was terrified. Lucas brought his hand up into her hair, twirling one of the curls like he always loved to do._

_”You did something new with your hair.”_

_”Yea.” She smiled, holding onto his wrist so their hands wouldn’t disconnect.  
_

_“You’re so beautiful.” He said, and the door opened to reveal Dr.Pierce.  
_

_Vic knew that they were ready to take him back now and all of her fears returned to the pit of her stomach as she focused her eyes onto Lucas once again. “I love you so much, Lucas Ripley.”_

_”I love you, too, Victoria Hughes. More than anything.” He promised, and she leaned down to kiss him. Her lips met his for a long kiss, and she never wanted it to end, but she knew it was time. She’d see him after surgery and Vic kept reminding herself of that as she pressed her lips to the palm of her hand, before standing from the bed. She nodded to Dr.Pierce as she left the room. More doctors came in after she left and she watched them prepare to move him into the OR. She forced her feet to move down the hallway, past the stares of firefighters from other stations. She found Travis and walked with him back to the waiting room._

* * *

Vic must’ve slept for a while because when she woke up it was to Travis shaking her shoulder. “Vic, hey, Dr.Pierce is here.” She heard him say and her eyes flew open, sitting up and looking around the room. Jennifer smiled at her and Vic stood to join her over where Dr.Pierce had just entered the room. 

“The surgery went well.” She said, and Vic let out the breath she had been holding since she’d woken up. He was ok. “The anesthesia is still wearing off, so he’s tired and a little groggy, but he’s awake and doing well.” Maggie reported, smiling at Jennifer and Vic as they pulled each other into a hug.

”Can we see him?” Vic asked, now holding Jennifer’s hand.

”He’s asking for you.” Maggie told her with a smile and Vic looked over at Jennifer and she nodded, pushing Vic ahead of her.

”Go. I’ll see you both later.” Jennifer assured her and Vic nodded, squeezing her hand before letting go and following Dr.Pierce to his room. When she entered, he still looked small and fragile in the hospital bed, but there was a comfort in knowing that his heart was stronger now.

Lucas smiled at her and sat up a bit in the bed, patting the spot beside him. “How are you feeling?” Vic asked as she sat where she had been before he was taken back. 

“Tired, and like I just had open heart surgery.” He told her, and she gently shoved his shoulder, laughing with him.

”Smartass.” He laughed again and she didn’t miss the way he grimaced. “Take it easy, babe.” She told him gently. She was still worried about him, even though she knew he was okay now. “So, the wicked witch of the west flew in on her broom while you were in surgery.” 

“Eva showed up?” He joked, but when Vic didn’t laugh he realized she was serious. Lucas hadn’t had anything to do with his second wife for years. She’d hurt him and in turn he’d built walls around his heart to protect himself from being hurt like that again. And it had worked for 15 years. He threw himself into his work and climbed the promotional ladder to become the youngest Fire Chief that Seattle had ever seen. It had all worked until Victoria Hughes weaseled her way into his world and opened up his heart to love again.

Lucas had mentioned his ex-wives before, never in great detail with his first one, but Vic knew the whole story about Eva, and Lucas had long hoped that Vic would never have to meet her. “How’d she even know I was here?” He asked, as Vic busied herself with adjusting the blankets that were covering him.

”You still have her in your emergency contact list.” She said and he was grateful that there wasn’t any accusation or anger in her tone, but he still felt bad. He hoped Eva hadn’t said anything too terrible to Victoria.

He brought his hand to his forehead and then squeezed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “God, Vic, I’m so sorry. I swear I thought I had that changed years ago.” 

“Hey, it’s all good. I can handle your ex-wife. I’ve learned that a little bit of yelling can go a long way.” She said, and he gaped around her causing her to laugh, burying her head in his chest to stifle it, being careful to avoid where he was stitched up.

”You yelled at my ex-wife?” He asked, smiling as she pulled her head up slightly to look at him. “That’s my Eggy!” Lucas exclaimed and Vic leaned forward to kiss him. The kiss was as heated and passionate as it could get with him lying in a hospital bed, because after not knowing whether he would be ok that morning, it felt amazing to be able to kiss her fiancé, knowing that she was still going to get to marry him.

Vic pulled back and ran her fingers through his disheveled curls, pushing a stray one away from his forehead. “You know, maybe it’s a metaphor.” He wondered, looking straight at Vic, obvious deep in thought.

”What is, Luke?” She asked.

”All of this.” He said, and she nodded for him to continue explaining. “I get taken back for open heart surgery, where they literally open up my heart, and during that the woman that broke my heart shows up at the hospital. Then, the doctors fix my heart, and afterwards, I get to see the woman who put my heart back together.” He said, grabbing Vic’s hand as she dropped her gaze from his eyes, blushing profusely. This man and his way with words. “I don’t think my heart would be able to take it if you walked away from me.” Lucas admitted, sheepishly.

Vic cupped his cheek, looking straight into his deep, blue eyes. “I’ll never leave you, Lucas Ripley.” And she meant it.


	12. peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lots of fluff in this one, and shorter than the last two, it’s based on “peace” from folklore!

_”but im a fire and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm, if your cascade, ocean wave blues come. all these people think love’s for show, but i would die for you in secret.”_

* * *

”This sucks.” Vic muttered to Travis as they walked into one of the annual events for the Seattle Fire Department. The ballroom was decorated extravagantly, with balloons and streamers, and almost all of the firefighters in the city were in attendance. It was a fancy event, and one of the rare times that Vic found herself wearing a dress. She had chosen a knee length, red dress, that wasn’t too fancy, but still fit the occasion. Her hair felt naturally around her shoulders, and she knew she looked hot. She also knew she was going to make a certain Fire Chief lose his mind.

Except she’d have to stay a professional distance from him all night. That’s why she hated this.

Travis and Vic quickly spotted the rest of 19 and headed over to join their circle. As Vic glanced around she groaned when she realized that everyone had a date. Except her. Well, she had Travis, and while she was very thankful for him, she couldn’t stop her eyes from scanning the crowd and searching out her very secret boyfriend, and wishing that she could be on his arm all night. He looked extremely sexy in his usual Chief’s uniform, a smile plastered on his face as he talked to few Battalion Chief’s. 

Andy and Ryan were standing together, the police officer’s arm around her waist. Maya and Jack were holding hands, and Vic still couldn’t believe that they were a couple. Dean had a woman with him that Vic hadn’t seen before, and then, of course, Warren had Dr.Bailey with him. Everyone looked cozy with their significant others, and Vic felt a stab of jealousy in her heart because she wanted to be able to be cozy with Luke in public. At the same time, she knew that she didn’t have to show her relationship off in public for the love to still be real. 

“Travis, you don’t have to stay with me all night. Go find yourself a hot firefighter to take home.” Vic told him, as they sat at the bar together. A slow song was playing and all of the couples had taken to the middle of the dance floor to dance, leaving Vic and Travis at the bar together.   
  
Travis shook his head. “Nope, I’m your date tonight.” He promised, lifting the shot glass that had just been placed in front of him and tapping it against Vic’s before they both took the shot. “You ok?” He asked, noticing that his friend was clearly staring at Ripley from across the room.

”Yes and no.” She said, turning back to Travis. “Part of me hates that I can’t dance with him tonight, or hold hands with him, but another part of me thinks that the secret makes our relationship stronger. Like, a lot of relationships depend on the opinions of others, but that’s not the deal with me and Ripley because nobody knows about us. So we just love each other in secret. On nights like tonight it can be annoying, but I’m going home to him at the end of it all. That’s what matters.” Vic told him, and Travis laughed, earning him an exasperated look from his friend.

”When did you get so wise?” He asked, resting his chin on his fist as he watched her.

Vic’s eyes wandered to the opposite side of the room to steal a glance at Ripley once again. She stood from her barstool and held out a hand to pull Travis up as well. “When I started fucking the Fire Chief.” She whispered to him, pushing him out to the dance floor with the rest of 19 as an upbeat song started to play.

Eventually, the music died down and everyone retreated to the tables that were set up for each station. Chief Ripley welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming before giving a brief speech and then passing it over to the Mayor to deliver a speech. A few politicians gave long and boring speeches before the Chief was called back up to present a few awards. A few Lieutenants and Captains received awards before a man Vic didn’t recognize came on stage and took the microphone from Ripley.

”Hello, everyone. My name is Adam Schultz with the International Association of Fire Chief’s. On behalf of the IAFC, I am honored to award Chief Lucas Ripley of the Seattle Fire Department with the IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor for his continuous dedication to the Seattle Fire Department and the citizens of Seattle. Thank you, Chief Ripley.” The room erupted into cheers, and a proud smile adorned Vic’s face as she watched the man hand a plaque to her boyfriend. Lucas found her in the crowd and smiled at her, causing a blush to creep up her cheeks at the way his face brightened upon seeing her. 

Ripley thanked everyone before dismissing the crowd back to dancing and drinking. Vic stayed seated at the table with the rest of her team as they laughed over drinks. “Congratulations, Chief!” The team chorused as Ripley came over and sat beside Sullivan. 

“Thank you, 19. It’s good to see you all.” He said, his eyes lingering on Vic the longest. Ripley leaned back in his chair as the team resumed their conversations. Eventually, Ripley stood from the table to go mingle with other stations. Vic did one more shot, after a bit of pressure from Andy and Maya, before she and Travis decided to leave. On their way out of the building, she sent a text to Lucas.

**V: I’m heading home now. See you there?**

**L: Of course. I have a few more politicians to talk to and then I’ll be there. Drive safe.**

Vic smiled down at her phone before sliding it into her clutch as she and Travis made their way to her Jeep. She dropped Travis off at his place before driving back to hers. She changed into leggings and one of Lucas’ old Station 88 shirts before laying back on the couch to watch something on Netflix. She only waited for about an hour before the door opened. “Well, if it isn’t the man of the evening.” She said, with a smile, as Lucas took off his coat and Chief’s jacket, hanging them both up by her door. He smiled at her before leaning down to kiss her tenderly, his right hand resting on her cheek.

”How was your night?” He asked, undoing his tie and the first few buttons of his shirt. She loved the casual/professional look on him, and how domestic it felt when she watched him do it in her apartment. 

“Pretty good. I got to hang with my team and watch my super amazing boyfriend receive a well deserved award.” Vic told, standing from the couch so she could kiss him again. His hands came to rest in her hips, keeping her body against his even after their lips parted. “You?” 

“Can’t complain. You looked absolutely gorgeous tonight, my love.” He told her, his hand creeping up under her (his) T-shirt to draw circles above her hip. She could tell that there was more he wanted to say, so she stayed quiet waiting for him to speak up. “Were you ok with - y’know...”

Vic interrupted him. “What? Watching you be extremely sexy all night and not being able to run my hands all over your gorgeous body?” She asked, running her hands up and down his chest, before unbuttoning the rest of his shirt and sliding it off his shoulders, leaving him in his undershirt. Lucas laughed before kissing her again.

”I was going to say still being a secret.” He replied, and Vic looped her arms around his neck. 

“It was hard at first because I saw everyone else with their dates, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I love our bubble. I love our bubble because we got to learn about each other without the influence of other people. We got to grow our relationship without worrying about what other people think, and I think that’s why so many relationships fail, because they’re in the spotlight. I like our peace, Lucas. And someday, I’d love to not be a secret, because I’m proud of you and I’m proud to be with you, but right now, I’m okay with being a secret.” Vic said, and Lucas noticed that she didn’t ramble. That meant she was confident. 

Lucas’ smile had only grown as he listened to her speak, and now he was grinning at her like an idiot, but he didn’t care, because he loved the woman in front of him so much. “Someday, I swear, I’m going to scream from the rooftops how much I love you, Victoria. But for now,” He said, lowering his voice to a whisper and his mouth to her ear. “I’ll just tell you.” He nipped at her earlobe before kissing the spot behind her ear that elicited a giggle from Vic. “Love everlasting, I promise you that. From here to the moon and back.” 

Vic pulled back and smiled up at him. “Did you just quote Dolly Parton at me?” She asked to which he shrugged and turned to look into the kitchen.

”Alexa, play ‘From Here to the Moon and Back’ by Dolly Parton.” Lucas called, and the speaker lit up and started playing the slow song. He stepped away from Vic and held out his hand. “We didn’t get to dance tonight. So, Victoria Hughes, dance with me?” He asked, holding out his hand. Vic stepped forward into his embrace again, arms going around his neck as his secured around her waist.

”Of course.” She whispered, resting her head on his shoulder as they started their slow dance. The song faded into the background as Vic focused on everything that was Lucas Ripley. This was their peace, and she wasn’t ready to give that up yet.


	13. evermore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really enjoyed last night’s episode of Station 19, and i was so glad that they mentioned Ripley. So, if you didn’t see last night’s episode it was revealed that Vic has socks from Ripley that she won’t trade. This chapter is basically the story of the socks that she has of his, and it’s based on ‘evermore’ from evermore!

_“and i was catching my breath, barefoot in the wildest winter, catching my death. and i couldn’t be sure, i had a feeling so peculiar that this made would be for evermore.”_

* * *

The first time Vic paid attention to the socks was about three months before he passed. She had declared it cleaning day and he had come over to cook for them while she cleaned. She was about to vacuum under her bed when she noticed a pair of socks on the floor. She knew exactly whose they were.

“Lucas!” Vic yelled from the bedroom and Lucas recognized the irritation in her voice. He set down the knife he was using to cut up vegetables and wiped his hands on the hand towel that was draped over his shoulder.

”Victoria!” He yelled back, making his way to her bedroom, stopping and leaning against the doorframe. She was kneeling by the bed and pushed herself up once she saw him. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at him.

“How hard is it to put your stupid socks in the hamper when you take them off?” She asked, holding the pair of black socks up in annoyance.

Lucas shrugged, a small smile pulling at his lips. “Sorry, Eggy.” He offered, and she threw the socks at him in response.

”No, you’re not, because you’ll do the same thing again.” One thing that had surprised Vic during the course of their relationship was how much of a mess he was. His house was a mess she she would be damned if he turned her apartment that way too. He tried to make a habit of cleaning up after himself whenever he was at her apartment, but sometimes he found himself so comfortable in her apartment that he forgot to do some things. Whether it was leaving the toothpaste uncapped in the bathroom, leaving the toilet seat up, not washing a dish after a meal, or leaving socks on the floor of her bedroom.

Lucas crossed the threshold and leaned in the closet, tossing the socks in the hamper. “There. Happy?” He asked, turning toward her.

”I’d be happier if you’d stop leaving your damn socks on my floor!” Vic told him, matter-of-factly. She glared at him as he came over to her, cupping her face in his hands and leaning down to kiss her sweetly. She tried to resist the kiss, but she was a goner. Vic immediately melted into his kiss, loving the feeling of his lips on hers.

”I promise I’ll do better.” He said once they pulled back.

”Ok.”

* * *

The second time she noticed the socks was when he had taken all of the hot water for his shower and she’d been forced to take a cold shower, which she hated, but she wasn’t mad at him. He’d just gotten home from a fire and had been covered in ash and soot. She got out of the shower, wrapped herself in her towel and stepped into her bedroom. She quickly pulled on her undergarments and then sweatpants and one of Lucas’ soft sweaters. Her feet were still freezing so she opened the top drawer of her dresser and she found the stupid black socks that she usually found under her bed. Vic laughed to herself and pulled them on her feet, taking a moment to appreciate how soft they were. 

She padded out into the rest of her apartment and plopped on the couch beside her boyfriend, throwing her legs over his lap. “You look cozy.” He mused, rubbing her calves. 

“You took all the hot water.” She could see the apologetic look on his face, so she stopped him before he could even apologize. “Don’t apologize, babe. You deserved it, you had a long day.” He smiled at her and let his hands trail down to her feet, massaging them. 

“Are those my socks?” He asked, looking at her, clearly amused.

”My feet were cold. My whole body was cold.” She shrugged.

”Come here, I’ll share my heat.” He said, opening his arms to which she slid in close to him, snuggling into his chest. Lucas grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and covered them both with it. They sat their in silence, the sound of the TV being the only noise. Vic soaked in his warmth, and even when she was warmed up, she didn’t make an effort to move. She loved being snuggled up to him. “When I die I want you to have my socks.” Lucas joked, breaking the silence.

Vic laughed and he joined her at the beautiful sound of her giggle. “If you still have these socks by the time you die, that’ll just be disgusting.” She told him, because she had never even thought it possible that he would die of anything other than old age. Looking back on it, she wouldn’t find any of this conversation funny in the slightest bit.

”But you’ll keep them? For me?” He asked, smirking at her. Vic tilted her head and pressed a kiss to his neck.

”Of course, Luke. I love you.” She promised. “And your stupid socks.” She added, making them both laugh again.

”Me and my stupid socks love you too.”

* * *

She didn’t see the socks again until three weeks after Lucas died. Vic had finally willed herself to go back to her apartment. Jennifer came with her and together they started cleaning the place. They boxed up different things of Lucas’ to be taken to his house that was now in Jennifer’s name, Vic choosing certain things to keep, including some of his sweaters and shirts, the book he had been reading, and his coffee mug. 

So many things in her apartment reminded her of Lucas, so through her tear clouded vision, she wiped down surfaces, tore the bedding off her bed and replaced it, only leaving the pillowcase that was on his pillow and the blanket on the back of the couch. They smelled like him and she couldn’t bring herself to wash them yet. Not when that scent of Lucas was the only thing keeping her going sometimes.

Vic was boxing up certain things when she saw the black socks from under her bed. Through a sob, she laughed because it was so Lucas. She grabbed the pair of socks and held them to her chest as the sob racked through her body and she fell to the ground in front of her bed, gripping the socks as her knuckles turned white. Jennifer found her there and sank to the floor beside her, wrapping her arms around Vic as she cried with her.

In that moment she swore to never get rid of those socks. No matter what, she would always keep them, because Lucas had said he wanted her to have them, and she couldn’t deny him anything, especially when the sight of his beautiful blue eyes in that moment was engraved in her memory.

Vic did indeed keep her promise.

* * *

It was a year later when Vic told anyone about the socks that she wore as often as possible. ”I have a watch from Michael that I never wear.” Travis had said as they joked about giving things for a nap.

”You can’t trade your dead husband’s watch.” Vic argued.

Travis gaped at her. “You traded your dead grandma’s earrings!” He countered, and she nodded then turned toward him.

”Yeah, but I wouldn’t trade my dead Ripley socks.” She said, and Travis was surprised. Vic didn’t talk about Lucas often. He knew it all still bothered her because he knew the feeling, but she never voiced those feelings.

”Your dead fiancé heirloom is socks? That’s tragic.” He said, and she laughed. Because it was tragic, and she knew that. But it had been their little inside joke, Lucas Ripley and his stupid socks.


End file.
